The Riley Hospital Historic Preservation Committee's mission is to collect, preserve, and celebrate the history of Riley Hospital for Children.
Since opening its doors in 1924, Riley Hospital for Children at IU Health has made history as one of the premier children’s hospitals in the entire country. The Riley Hospital Historic Preservation Committee (RHPC) formed in order to remember and celebrate Riley Hospital’s nearly 100 year history. Our first goal is to collect and preserve the physical materials that constitute the Hospital’s impor
10/03/2022
Donate to James Whitcomb Riley Museum Home Centennial For the past 100 years, the James Whitcomb Riley Museum Home existed at the heart of the Lockerbie Square. Now is your chance to support the Museum Home as it embarks on its next 100 years.
03/22/2018
Limestone plaque in original lobby vestibule commemorating Mrs. Jessie Spaulding Landon, wife of Hugh McK. Landon, and essentially the "First Lady" of the hospital. Mrs. Landon worked tirelessly for everything Riley Hospital for Children until her untimely death in 1930.
03/22/2018
Painting of Hugh McK. Landon, 1st President of the Riley Memorial Association and the man who spearheaded the building of the hospital. Shown as it is exhibited in the original lobby of the hospital.
09/03/2017
This postcard depicts the original hospital during the mid-1920's. My cousin's wife found it at a flea market at the Indiana State Fairgrounds and gave it to me as a birthday present.
03/26/2017
The ornate Donor Cabinet located in the original Lobby of the hospital that contains file drawers that hold donor cards that chronicle the donations of 45,000 Hoosiers to fund the building of the hospital. The painting of Hugh M. Landon is on the left and the painting of the RMA's 2nd President, Perry W. Lesh, is on the right side of the cabinet. Also note the decorative lighting which is still, obviously, in use.
03/26/2017
A view of the brass crucifix enlayed in the marble floor of he original Lobby that commemorates notable pioneers in the history and development of the medical sciences.
03/26/2017
A portrait of Hugh McKennan Landon, first President of the Riley Memorial Association and also the President of the Joint Executive Committee (RMA/IU) that built the hospital. Mr. Landon led the Association during the first 27 years of its existence. This portrait hangs in the original Lobby of the Hospital.
03/26/2017
The historic original Lobby of the Riley Hospital for Children at IU Health, now part of the Edward A. Block Family Library, a component of the Frank and Marian Snyder Family Resource Center.
07/11/2016
Days after Mr. Riley passed away in July 1916, several of his friends met to talk about ways to honor the Hoosier poet's memory. From these discussions, the idea for the James Whitcomb Riley Hospital for Children was born.
Riley Hospital for Children at IU Health Timeline, 1903 to 1923.
Selected historical events relevant to the history of Riley Hospital for Children at Indiana University Health are listed to provide a snapshot of the hospital’s history during the above time period. All references to Riley Hospital for Children at Indiana University Health are made in historical context and for the purposes of historical accuracy, associate the event with the hospital’s name at that time.
1903
• Indiana University School of Medicine is founded.
1916
• Famed Hoosier poet from Greenfield, Indiana, hailed nationally as a “Poet of the People,” James Whitcomb Riley, passed away.
1921
• The Riley Memorial Association, renamed the Riley Children's Foundation in 2003, is formally incorporated with the goal to build a children's hospital in memory of James Whitcomb Riley.
• The Riley Memorial Association joined with Indiana University and the Indiana Children’s Welfare Association to submit a bill to the State Legislature requesting funds for building costs, equipment, and maintenance for the hospital. By March, the Riley Memorial Hospital bill (IC 20-12-31) passed and was signed by Governor Warren T. McCray.
1923
• Indianapolis Junior League, Kappa Kappa Kappa, Inc. (Tri Kappa), and Psi Ota Xi, all Indiana philanthropic organizations, identify James Whitcomb Riley Hospital for Children as their primary charity. All 3 organizations are still major contributors today to Riley Hospital for Children at IU Health.